The cast of BBC's I Kissed a Girl season 2 have defiantly declared that 'you cannot cancel lesbians' after the network axed the show due to 'funding challenges'. The series, which premiered its second season on June 30, 2026, will be the last, prompting strong reactions from the contestants.
Cast reacts to cancellation
Imogen, 21, told Metro: 'You cannot cancel lesbians.' Tyra, 24, added: 'You can't cancel people. You can't cancel their stories.' Ebony, 22, affirmed: 'This whole cancelling thing, just pushes us to be more loud and proud... We won't go down without a fight.'
Faye, 24, noted that the LGBTQIA+ community was angry: 'Everyone was angry because everyone loves the show, and it's like something is being ripped away from us. There's no queer representation on TV, especially not in the lesbian community, really, unless it's fetishised femme for femme.'
Impact on representation
The show, which alternated with I Kissed a Boy, was the first gay dating show in the UK, premiering in 2023. Faye said: 'I'd probably have come out a lot earlier. I wouldn't have had to Google girls kissing girls... I would've been able to watch I Kissed a Girl.' Elise, 24, who came out at age nine, reflected: 'To have been able to put something on when I was younger, and go: "That's what I'm going to be like when I grow up." It would've been nice.' Renee, 25, called it 'the best entertainment'.
Format and dynamics
Each season begins with five couples matched by Dannii Minogue meeting with a kiss, followed by nine episodes of romantic tests and 'kiss-offs'. Renee described it as the 'lesbian Olympics': 'It's a high stress situation, it's very intense. Very competitive.' Tyra called it 'survival of the fittest'.
Emotions run high, and early in the season, Renee seeks comfort after a situation, asking: 'Where's the care and compassion to take care of my feelings as a woman?' She added: 'I feel like a lot of masculine women don't get that grace.'
Lessons learned
Renee explained: 'At the end of the day, we're just women. Women have emotions. Men have emotions. All humans have emotions and should be treated equally... Your label doesn't excuse you from any sort of accountability or responsibility for how you treat someone you're being intimate with.'
The cast reflected on personal growth. Elise said: 'I am very emotional... I could have handled myself better.' Renee learned to deal with rejection: 'I was in a new circle where maybe I wasn't the top of the food chain... It's very humbling and I'm very grateful for it.'
Final season
Imogen declared: 'We just need to go out with a bang,' and Ebony added: 'And just continue the bang, for the rest of time.' Episodes 1-4 of I Kissed a Girl season 2 are available on BBC iPlayer, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays.
